This is the blood curdling screeching one of our followers heard night in the woods outside his house. He said the video doesn’t do it just justice, it sounds much worse in real life. After doing research, they think it is a fisher cat, a ferocious weasel like predator that can attack small pets. Needless to say, he says he is very worried about our small dogs being outside now!
Difference between a FisherCat Scream and Red Fox Sound
The user who submitted this video thinks it may be a fisher cat but after listening to it, it almost sounds like a dog or a fox bark. Some of our readers say the Red Fox Scream is often mistaken for a fisher at scream. What do you think? Is this video below a fisher or Red Fox Sounds?
Fox have a den under our deck and every spring they have their babies there. Since we have allot of fox around here, we hear them make this sound often during the night, usually during breeding season. They open their mouths really wide and utter this sound, which sounds like a hoarse strangled shriek (waaaaah!). It is usually referred to as “the vixen’s scream” because biologist’s believe this is likely a vixen in heat summoning dog foxes to compete for her. In more urban area, several vixens share a territory, as they do under our deck – mostly two females at a time, and they both make this sound, but not in the same night, and never when there are cubs in the den. Because of the sound I hear in the video and the spacing between the sounds, it sure sounds like a fox to me!
My husband and I agree with Bonnie. We have a fox and this is the noise it makes at night — found it in a sound database as “territory call”. It drives our dogs nuts!
Red fox… we had one… scared the CRAP out of us!! I got the same audio tape with that call, and then heard it a few days later in the morning, but this time I saw it… red fox!
(:
We have a red fox in our neighborhood. It has wakened me in the middle of the night and we have seen it passing thru our yard. I at first thought it was a fisher cat but then after hearing the video and seeing the animal this early am run down the middle of the street it is a fox. Strange noise and scarry we have cats. thanks July 8th 2009
I think this is a fisher cat.. Woke me up last night scared to death dogs goin crazy.. Walked right past my house in the street. We have a very wooded area. There have been sightings of a fFisher cat in the area. recently I had sighted a beautiful Vixen in my back yard also. This wasn’t her when I saw that skinny long brown tail i knew it wasn’t a fox….he was moving quite fast so hopefully he’s going to a new home 🙂
I live in Springfield Ma.
I was awakened by this horrible screaming, at first I thought I was dreaming. Than I thought it was my neighbor screaming. I was looking at both houses and they were dark. It was 4-4:30am. I looked down in the yard across from me and I saw ‘it”. Not quite sure it was a fox or fisher cat. had long tail, grayish color. I thought maybe small coyote? Never heard anything like that, very loud. We are in the City, however across from our back yard is a pond and woods, We have woodchucks, deer etc… So not too unlikely to have fisher cat, although I hope not. This scream is prettty much the same sound.
Hi again,
Follow up I’ve been looking at videos and listening to audios of red fox and fisher cats. I think what i saw was a fox. I am still going to keep my cat in!
I’ve seen a fishercat and it screamed at me… it sounded like a woman’s scream. So this audio must definitely be a red fox.
I too heard this sound last night. I am not sure what it is. To me, it is not a fisher cat. The animal was more like a dog shape and light gray in color. This is the 3rd time it’s happened in a week.
We have heard this exact noise for a week or two – between 10:00 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. It is definitely a fox. It strolls across our front yard – then off down the street. It’s very glossy and plump! The noise goes on for quite a while and is very loud. We are wondering whether it is somehow attracted to our outside cat .
I heard this sound before and I did not know what animal it was. I heard it last night and my dog was barking back at it. I know we have fox and fisher cats I have seen them. My cat stayed outside last night, but he was here this morning. Hmmm….maybe that’s why I heard the noises…..
My wife and I were awakened by this same screech at 4:00 am. we thought it was a Fishercat. I turned on the back light and saw a redfox run through our yard and stop and screeched. It is a scarey sight and sound. ten minutes later saw the same red fox run through the yard. heard screech comefrom different direction in woods. the redfox stopped and looked in that direction and ran away from sound. So maybe different fox? or maybe fishercat?…. either way I wasn’t going to step outside to look
A few years ago, we heard the same ungodly screeching for several nights in the fields behind our house. I finally shone a spot light on it the next time I heard it and it was a red fox. After that and during the day, our Australian shepherd and the fox used to take turns chasing each other and the fox would make the same sound.
We hear this a lot we live in the woods and do see about 2 foxes running around there’s only 8 homes here and we are a pretty good distance apart we have only seen the foxes but some neighbors think maybe its that fisher cat ,,,but we seem to all agree on the fox.My husband started to follow one in the evening for about 5 mins. after he saw and heard the fox scream so we think its a fox.It is a horrible sound ,when I first heard it i was a little scared because I couldn’t see and it felt real close to me just freaky
We have a couple of red fox in our backyard and they make this scream every 3 seconds for about an hour every few nights. It is absolutely ear piercing and terrible to listen to. They sound as if they are right in our bedroom. The first time I heard it I thought it was someone screaming and got up with a flashlight. It surely was a red fox. A couple of neighbor cats have been missing lately and am certain it is the red fox that visits us at night. Milford, Ct.
This is definitely a red fox. Our suburban neighborhood has recently (for the first time) been inunduated with red foxes. They made this noise this past Sunday at 3 a.m. and I flew out of bed and my dog ran for the door (I did not let her out-she forgets she is small)! Scared me to death.
Definitely is a red fox, not a fisher cat. We hear lots of both up here in NH.
i just moved into the woods and heard this terrible screming from an animal mixed with a cat could the fisher cat be living in connecticut?
This is definately a red fox territorial call. I’ve done hours of research now, after 4 sleepless nights of hearing the same thing. I’ve lived in the same area for now 18 years, and had never heard it before last week, but here are some hints that I found out for it to be a red fox: 1. high rodent populations (especially bunnies!) we have never really had squirrels, but the bunnies are everywhere in my neighborhood. 2. If the calls go on for roughly an hour around the same time each night. Fox calls are very repetative (like your video) because this form of vocalization is used for marking territory. Whereas, Fisher Cats tend to only vocalize when in danger, or feeling threatened. 3. My neighorhood is backed up to an empty field, but many foxes and other wildlife are being perpetually forced out of their natural habitat by new developments. Just because you live near a city, or have not heard the noise before this incident doesn’t mean they haven’t been there all along. Foxes can be very quiet and sneaky, and are mild scavengers, so they don’t mind the garbage, and if the population is on the rise, an existent family may need to set clear rules for any new foxes in the area. 4. Foxes mark territory with scent as well, and their dens often are very similarly scented to that of a skunk odor. If you randomly get whiffs of skunk during daylight, or when none near are dead on the road, you undoubtedly have a fox den nearby! Best of luck with your noisy nighttime neighbors, the sounds should stop within a matter of days or weeks at most!
Sunapee, NH
We heard this ear-piercing screech outside our bedroom last night (4:15 a.m.) and it made us jump out of bed and grab a couple of flashlights – scared the heck out of us. Thought it was a fisher cat, but finally saw it after an hour of on -and- off \screams\ – was definitely a fox. Even smelled a weird scent at one point.
Think the fox living in the abandoned home next door.
I think I’ve heard a fisher twice near our house, but it didn’t sound like this. It was a continuous, blood-curdling scream, but it went on for about 10 seconds, repeating again and again. It sounded like it was running around the perimeter of our hard and then off into the forest.
Red Fox, heard it Saturday night, we were sleeping in a cabin in northern NH. We had our dog with us. There was a horrible musky, mildly skunky smell as well as the terrible screaming. The fox circled our little cabin for hours because it was upset that our dog had marked up his territory. The fox marked all over the place and screamed from about 2:30am until about 5am-bone chilling. We thought it to be a Fisher until some online research confirmed that it was a fox. The smell was the key, the sounds are so similar.
This is absolutely a red fox giving a “this is my territory “bark. I heard this just this past weekend, got out of bed and saw the fox in my driveway.
Campton,
Funny story. I guess in response to what EBL replied, my wife was calling someone downstairs in our house and it was quit loud. Just afterwards, we heard the barking in our front yard / woods. I guess the fox was letting us know this was his yard. Maybe he should pay my taxes!!
I have this horrific scream (NOT like the one in the video- it is the same intensity but more like a howl that sounds almost like maniacal laughter- seriously- I am not being dramatic) that I hear in our area at night in CT. We have approx. 14 acres (about 10 of which are completely wooded) and it is very frightening to hear if I am outside at night. It always sounds like it is far away, but I have never heard anything like this until this year.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS WHAT THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Definitely a Red Fox.
You know something? You were ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!! (Thank you very much, by the way.) And I saw it with my own eyes- it was in my dogs’ kennel a few nights after I asked the question. I have no idea how it got in there- never saw anything in there before- and with the dogs (a 120 lb. Presa Canario and a Bull Terrier), I never thought that was really an issue. But evidently, I was wrong.
Any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening (along with my ensuing heart-attack) again??
Whatever it is, my dogs didn’t like hearing it. All three of my dogs reacted rather alertly when I played this video. I am guessing they have heard it before, as we live in a very rural area.
We’ve had red foxes around, and fishers around. this could be either, but the fisher cat often has a hiccup at the end of its screech, which must be the air intake through its long neck. I first heard a fisher cat about the time cats started missing around here. Also it is a wide ranging creature. You can hear the screech getting closer each night, as if the fisher cat were doing a search pattern. And I am told they are.
Also told the screech is to stun prey. I’ve heard coyote and fox, but the fisher cat sounds more — infernal.
Just heard this sound, tore downstairs, flicked on the front light to scare it away (if possible) because one of my cats was out. Ironically, the cat was out because our angora bunny was in … the cat, who isn’t afraid of much of anything, is freaked out by the site of the giant alien fluffball bunny.
Anyway, the cat came in, tail all puffed. The fox was *not* frightened of the light and continued to call. I couldn’t see it, but it was no more than 50-100 feet away. There is a forested lot between our house and the next and the fox was in that little section of woods. LOUD! Terrifying sound. It sounds more like something dying than a territory call. Makes me duck every time I hear it.
We live north of Albany in NY.
I have heard this awful sound twice within the last year and it scared the cr_p out of me. We live near Rock Creek Park just outside of Washington, DC and the screech woke me up from deep sleep. The first time we heard it, the sound was just outside of our house, but we could not see anything. The second time I heard it was about 2 months ago and this time it was from further away. I guess that it must be a fox since it does not appear that fisher cats are located this far south. We do have coyotes, fox, lots of deer and raccoons in the area. One raccoon is maskless – his coloring is lighter and the rings on its tail are not so pronounced.
Definatly a red fox. Our neighbour had a couple tamed fox and if we were outside on the deck and they heard us talked, they would come around and hang out around our house. We’d almost have a heart attack when they would make that sound just a few feet from us…. but then we got used to it.
Woke up this morning about 5:50a.m. to hear this terrible barking screaming noise. Thought maybe it was an injured dog. Walked outside and saw a red fox sitting in my yard barking. My cat was sitting and watching the whole ordeal. When I made a noise the fox turned to look at me and walked across the yard to where another fox was standing. Definately sounded like this.
Oops, sorry forgot to say we live in south Mississippi right on the bayou. We’ve seen a lot more red foxes in the area in the last few years. I have to agree with DL that it sounds more like something dying than a call. And boy was it loud. Woke me out of a sound sleep.
its a red fox because fisher cats sound like screeming women..
I believe the sound is that of a Red Fox. Here in Niantic, the red foxes stroll around like stray cats. It is amazing! They are not afraid of anyone or anything. I love them but the shrieking sound they make has freaked me out many times, usually between 3:00 – 4:00 a.m. At first I thought they had killed a small animal and the noise was that of their prey. But one night I actually witnessed the fox open his mouth up really wide and make this chilling noise. Couldn’t sleep after that!
I have seen a fisher cat twice in the persimmon grove by my house, and heard this sound twice, but have never seen a red fox in the area. i believe it to be a fisher cat.
I was in La Veta, Colorado (pop. ~700) around 29 December 2009 walking the family dog at about 11:00 PM. The town was dark and still. We were walking back from the town park and the streets were eerily quiet.
I heard this screeching sound behind me. I froze and the hair on my neck stood straight up! It was pretty freaky since I had never heard this sound before. It repeated every 5-10 seconds and I stood and listened for a minute or two. The dog wanted to go after it.
A minute or two later, while I was staring intently in the direction of the calling, my dog basically pointed to my left where I saw a Fox coming up the road about 50 yards away. The two Foxes started ‘talking’ to each other.
It was a very interesting experience, and this is definitely a Fox call.
Here are some Fox sounds to compare it to: https://www.angelfire.com/ar2/thefoxden/sounds.html
Check the \call.wav\ and the \Fox_Territory_Call.wav\.
We live in upstate NY in the woods and this sounds like a red fox’s territorial sound. We have stood on our deck and had one 20 feet away looking right at us making this sound. He is telling us this is his territory!! I found another site that had fox sounds and identified each different one–they have many different sounds but this is an exact match for the territorial fox “bark”. (We also have a fisher cat around and their cry is more like a wild cat sort of.)
I have fox fisher and NY coyotes fisher killed my semi feral cat a few years ago we went fang and club in my garage for a few long moments before the fisher left, I think this is the wwaaaahhh of the fox, a fisher sounds exactly like a female screem
this was soo helpful!! I am pretty positive its a fox sound. i just hear it a little bit ago. my dog was barking because he heard it. we used to have some fox pups and their mum living under our shed and we have a lot of other animals in our wooded area so it sounds right that this would be a fox. 🙂 thanks
ive heard that sound at night like something killing another animal and i see both red foxes an fisher cats ill keep an eye out for either one when i hear the screeching
HOW DO YOU HEAR THIS SOUND I WANT TO LISTEN FOR MY PROJECT.
I heard the call under my window and turned out the light and saw it as it passed under the street light.
PS, Sorry, I got so excited that I failed to say it was a fisher cat that was under my window and then passed under the street light.
The other night I heard this sound close to my home and it was MUCH worse in person. It was repeated twice. Two of my cats were slinking around inside the house where was my third cat? I grabbed my flashlight and went to check it out.. About 100 fee from the house two sets of glowing eyes starred back at me. I got closer and one set turned away and I saw the outline of a fox. The second set turned out to be my cat. Unharmed, but clearly upset. When I played this video to find out why the sound was made and to share it with my family, the cats all got very upset.
I have no experience with fisher cats exept watching videos and looking at pictures; same with the fox. From what I’ve heard and seen, this is definitely a fox. I am going to do an animal report on fisher cats for my school and I do not think I will use this video. It is definitely a fox. Probably a vixen in heat.
Definetly a fox. Fishers sound like a woman screaming; this was more of a bark; and foxes are dogs. Fishers are mustelids(weasels).
Red fox, no doubt. I’m waiting for it to say “Lamont you dummy!” : )
Yeah. In a way they kind of both sound alike though. But still, I think it is a fox. Sorry, to the person who published this video!
This is a red fox identifying his territory – we saw and heard him outside our house for the last 2 days!
5am 5/4/11 heard this noise flipped on the flood lights and saw a red fox the territory thing bothers me since it was my backyard
i dont the location but it sounds like a grey fox to me
Yes, I agree. This is a fox. I hear them all the time here in Quebec, but they’re red fox.
Thank you for posting this —I think this is the same creature/fox? I have been hearing at night — in Central NJ – so scary!
It is definitely a fox- I woke up at 3am last night to this exact sound- turned on my outside light and a grey fox was sitting in my driveway screaming at my car. It must have gone on for an hour or so. I live in Maryland- on the Eastern Shore.
Melissa, grey foxes scream at SUVs because they pollute and intimidate people in Smart cars. If you have an SUV or (god forbid) a pick up truck, please trade it in for a smaller more efficient car. The fox will go away and you will sleep better knowing you are helping to save the world.
Peace
very clever! 🙂
Absolutely a red fox. There are videos on youtube of them making the exact same call, in broad daylight. Search for “red fox cry”.
If you saw a red fox during the day, it more than likely was rabid. They are nocturnal animals and do only come out at night. I did see a very young red fox during the day, several years ago, but I knew he was foraging for food. I had dead leaves sitting on my pool cover for about a year and the previous day, I was removing them with a pool net. It smelled like decay. The very next day, at around 10 a.m, here comes this very thin ..so thin one could count his ribs…fox at my front door. He then turns to go to the back of the house where the pool is situated. The fox was squinting his eyes, as you or I would, as tho the sun were shining into them. Yep! They normally come out at night.
Foxes come out during the day during summer to feed their young- they are not necessarily rabid- but you shold not approach them nonetheless.
Last fall (October) our mostly outdoor cat, Mooie, was sitting across from a red fox. They were literally about two feet from each other and were looking at each other. I almost freaked out, but nothing happened. When I opened the patio door, the red fox took off. This did occur during the day time.
I saw a coyote on Mother’s Day, about 1:00 P.M., in front of our wooded backyard. The red foxes that I’ve seen were during the day time, but I also saw one red fox at night.
Years ago my children threw some old cheese on the patio for birds to eat. A few hours later at night we saw a red fox eating the cheese.
that is a red fox warning cry
in the video
that is a red fox warning cry
I just watched 2 Fox pick a fight with a Fisher Cat in my driveway. Total Discovery Channel stuff and this sound was nonthing like the sound the fisher just made. The fisher sounded like a baby being tortured. The Fox where protecting thier babes in the den next store. I could hear the fisher screaming as the fox chased it thru the woods behind my house.
I find it hard to believe a Fisher would back down from 2 foxes.
This is definitely a red fox territory bark. There is one that chases our cats. I originally thought it was a fisher cat, but I have seen him up pretty close several times. Just tonight, I got a good look at him running away from me. He is quite fat and happy. I think that he has helped himself to the wild rabbit population in my yard. I can hear him right now as I write this, patrolling through our half suburban/half rural area.
Its a fox.
I was awakened to my rough collie dog barking and my wife poking me saying “are you going to find out what is wrong?”
I went outside holding the dogs collar and the scream was blood curdling. I thought a woman was being attacked in the dark of night. Then the sound came in fairly regular intervals.
It was loud. I would describe it as a very loud seagull noise. I saw the fox across the street. It would sit and wail. Then move quickly to another spot and crouch or sit and wail again. It did this over and over.
We live on an Island in a metropolitan area. (Doty Island, Neenah, WI) We have a den of foxes on the island and they are getting older. After reading this post and others, I think they might be setting up territories. It is late spring and I would think they mate earlier in the year.
When I let my dog go, she moved about 5 paces into the woods toward it, bushy fir and all, looked back at me and ran to the house. We had heard enough!
My husband and I heard a fisher cat last night outside in our yard, the screech was far worse than anything we’ve heard before. We are used to the coyote packs and their crying, but this was much worse!
Lakeville, MA
We have been hearing this noise outside our house in Machesney Park, IL for quite some time. We have a family of red foxes living very near by, and see them several times a week (sometimes even several times a day). I thought that this noise was the sound of bunnies being killed by the foxes, as I was told that bunnies make a horrific scream when being killed. Tonight I hit the jackpot, when I turned on the outside light to see if I could spot some movement in the yard. Sure enought, the fox came trotting into the light after a while, stood still, opened its mouth, and made this very same shrieking noise. I know for certain that it was the fox because I heard this sound come out as it opened its mouth wide. It sure does sound like the sound of something meeting its maker, that’s for sure.
I live in the woods myself. This is definitely the red fox ‘bark’.
This is definitely a red fox – probably a vixen in heat. We have these behind our house – there was one last night. I live in central NC. We do not have Fisher Cats this far south. I have seen the red foxes on occasion, and this noise is quite familiar.
At lease someone got it right!
Thank you so much for this!! The sound I heard makes sense now as there are a couple of red foxes denning near by. I was awaken around 3am and heard this. It was very eerie and I was determined to find out what animal it was. Mystery solved!!
Yes, I agree that its more eerie then what you hear in the video. If I were camping and didn’t know what it was I would be getting in my vehicle to sleep. LOL
Wow all of you have answered a question that has been bothering me for a long time about 8 or more years. I live in the town of Orleans on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. I have heard this sound that I thought was an animal being killed by a coyote. There was one night I thought a woman was being attacked I jumped out of bed opened by window to /listen better but heard nothing. I wasn’t sure what to do. I just saw a tan and white what i think is a Fisher or Fisher Cat. However, I have not found any pictures of any Fishers this color only the brown and black ones. Have any of you seen this? It looked just like the Fisher because I described it as looking like a fox with a fox tail and a cat face and ears, its body is long like a lion or a tigers and it has fat paws.
The weirdest thing is I just watched a video of the red fox and what I saw looked just like that fox except that it did not have a fox nose or it’s height it was lower to the ground and it did not move quickly as a fox does it slinked like a cat. I thought it was cleared up for me but I am still kind of confused. Thank you all though. I am sure I will make sense of it all eventually. Also thanks for giving me something so beautiful to think about as these wild animals living so close by. My world has been tough today and this has been great respite. Peace, Love and Light, Jacqui
Hi.
You’re second video is a Barred Owl. Your fourth video sounds like a coon fighting with a cat.
Cheers from Canada.
Linda.
A few years ago we heard a scream like that coming from a field across the street in the middle of the night…at first we thought it was a cougar( I live in British Colombia) but when we searched the noises on the computer, the cougar sounds were different…then we figured it was a red fox after finding an identical sound on the internet…then last night we heard it again at about 1 in the morning for the first time in about 3 years…my brother showed me the fishercat sound and it was identical to this sound here but the foxdoes sound very similair…Its hard for me to detirmine what animal it is becuase the sounds are really similair but im leaning towards fox since ive seen many foxes in my neighborhood and Ive never seen a fishercat in my life
Sounds like a gray fox when marking his territory.
Sounds like a fox to me. We have a lot of red fox around our neighborhood (Andover, MA) and they sound just like that.
sounds like what happened a few years ago at my old house my cat was out side with me then i saw a fox then my cat chased it next morning i went out side and my cat came to me along with the other 4 adults and there was a dead fox and 1 kittin with only a few scraches so i think the mother took 1 of the kittens out and the fox tryed to steal it and kill it but lucky for me at that time i had 4 adults and like 2 or 3 teenage cats.
Thanks for posting this. I’ve been creeped out by this noise every night for the last 4 days or so. I thought it was a cougar at first because there aren’t many foxes where I live, and the cougar sightings have gone up tremendously in the last year. I’m just relieved to know I can go hiking safely again.
Wow this sound is sure creepy at 1:00 in the morning!
Red fox. Had one barking under my bedroom window this morning.
The sound in the video is a red fox. We rehab wild animals and on the night we released 7 red foxes we heard exactly this sound. The other night I recorded this… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAKeKNUOs5w
This is from what i can find out the sound of a fisher cat.
Cheers
Murdo
It’s a red fox. I watched one in my driveway making that sound at regular intervals for quite a while one night. Also, I recently attended a video and discussion by Susan Morse a naturalist of “Keeping Track” of Vermont who is able to recreate the sound herself and also says it is a fox.
I have 16 acres of wooded wetland in Wells Maine we have gray fox, fishers ,bobcats everything it definately sounds like a gray fox, I have a pair that come everynight and that is the sound they make especially when the racoons are in the yard at the same time. I have lived here all 55 years of my life, we used to watch Fishers play on our woodpile in the winter when I was small. Fisher screeches sound more like that of a wolverine which I heard many times when I was young comming from a wolverine that belonged to wildlife rehabilatator that was a friend of my uncles that he rescued from a trap in Canada when it was a baby. Trust me that is a sound you never forget or mistake for a fox. Listen to Wolverine audio and you will see what I mean.
I have videos of a fox doing this on my deck! very loud and high pitch a fisher is a short and sweat groan like a fox bark but shorter and very quiet
twice this year, I have heard an animal call that I can’t explain, and I am very familiar with many animal sounds. It actually creeped me out, probably because it is not familiar to me. Both times this year it was in the middle of the night. My question is, are fishers nocturnal?
We have some red foxes that come around to eat our game birds and chickens. This is definitely a red fox – I’ve seen a baby calling to his mama while she was preying on our birds.
I live in a suburb outside of Boston MA and hear strange animal noises almost every night. It is nice to finally know that the loud screeching is from a red fox, but the loud,single “whoop” that I’ve heard on several occasions is still a mystery. I witnessed the animal running around the property, circling as if it was looking for something and calling to another, and it looked like it could have been a fox, but it was so dark I couldn’t tell. The sound it made was very loud and it repeated itself every 90 seconds or so. I’ve read nothing of the sound I heard. Any ideas?
Kristy,
My wife and I also live just outside of Boston. Being from w. va. I know what your ‘whooping’ sound is. It is more that likely a hoot owl. We have a pair of them that banty back and forth around our house. They stake an area and hoot to each other to let the other know their territory
There are no credible sources incicatimg Fisher vocalize at all with a specific territorial or warning call. Their close relatves for the most part do not. Of course anything being attacked or bitten will cry out (like one of the posters above mentioned). And you can hear the angry muttering (kind of like a squirrel) in the video above, from thefsher that’s been treed by the dog . Fox calls and raccoon screams are very often attributed to them as in this thread here. If you’re out at night and you hear a crazy call from far off, it’s not a fisher.
This is the sound of a red fox, I live next to 30 acres of woods in severna park Maryland and have often seen red fox screaming late at night. I have never seen a grey fox where I live but I am sure they can also make this same sound.
I live in Havana Florida and heard the exact sound a couple of weeks ago. Took a flashlight to the back pasture and saw two beautiful red foxes. They had the horses, dogs and cats going nuts
it’s a fox
I live in the Rockie Mountains of Alberta, Canada and I live along side a major river. A river is a highway to wildlife. I am well aware of the sounds of wildlife. What you heard was clearly a red fox. It doesn’t need debate, just experience and a little knowledge.
This is the territorial sound of a wild human baby, raised by foxes attacking a fisher cat! We see it all the time in southern Missouri… Crazy fox baby people things!
…………………….foxes……………………..RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
We live outside Boston and I have had an encounter with a fischer cat during the day, it wanted my two small dogs and it actually stared me down, they are frightening. We also have been hearing an animal make loud screaching noises that heighten and it moves very fast. Tonight there were fireworks and it was going crazy, I almost thought a wild turkey, but at this point am very unsure of what animal it might be. I know it’s not the fisher cat and not an owl, which we have seen and heard. It sound like a bird gone crazy. Any help would be appreciated. I did try and record it but was too late and it only happens at night. I do know that there are a pack of coyote near our house and I know it’s not them.
Thanks
that is a red fox. Had one chasing my cat making that awful noise. sound is blood curdling
that is a fox. we had both in the woods behind my house the fox yelps like that while the fisher cat sounds horrible like an animal being tortured. fisher cats are mean animals not very afraid of people
I heard a screaming sound which had I’ve been sleeping with my windows opened. I thought it might be a fisher, although I couldn’t see any thing. I looked in the web site and found that the sound I listen to on the site that it was a fisher. I’ve seem them around here in the day time, but I also seen red foxes too. I live in Tyngsboro, Ma. I was also was wondering in all the years I was growing up I was corrected not to call it fisher cat. I remeber reading in a book on fisher’s the people thought it look and sounded like a cat so the name stucked. But I remeber as a kid I was told fisher not fisher cat, but I can’t to seem to get people to just to say fisher. I know it a family of weasel and one it’s favorite meal is porcupines. I remember reading also that it make a cat hissing sounds and it humps it’s back hair like a cat that how it got it’s name cat added to it. So is it fisher or fisher cat?
Just as dawn was breaking this morning, I watched a red fox sitting in the middle of our street making this loud and frightening sound. She seemed to be staring at something in the neighbor’s yard. I have heard this sound at night, but attributed it to a barred owl. Now, I’m wondering if it was foxes barking. We live in Hyattsville, MD. I’ve been watching this fox since she and her littermate were young kits in Spring 2010.
I was hearing a similar noise these last few days as my house is near some woods here in FL. I’ve seen red foxes off and on, so I’m sure this is what I’m hearing now that I have heard the sound at this sight. Weird thing was, a hoot owl starting hooting right after the fox made its sound when I was out tonight. It scared me as it sounded so eery – my dog barks at the owl sound, but she only growled at the screeching sound. Several months ago, (late Spring, early summer) I saw a red fox very early in the morning like he was late getting back to his den. He was thin as they all seem to be, but he wasn’t acting wild or rabid. I fear these creatures because my dogs is a little dachshund and I have to literally stand out in my yard at night while she does her business for fear a hawk or owl might swoop down and attack her. It’s fenced, but I’ve seen a red fox walk right by our fence and that’s a little too close for comfort. I think this fox walks around my home all the time and I’ve heard some scarey noises late at night similar to this red fox sound. They can be loud – sounds like a woman crying almost. When he saw me one time – he quickly ran away, so I don’t think he would attack, but again, I’m out there with my dog in the dark all the time just in case. Thanks for posting this sound!
This is def. a fox, just heard the same thing outside my door. And seeing a fox during the day does not mean they are rabid. The condition of the animal will tell you that. If they look healthy they are not rabid
i just sighted a fisher cat at 8:00 this morring. and i live in raynham ma,in the center of the town. i’ve hunted up in china,patton maine.and seen them off at about 200 hundred yards.but this one was right in my back yard.i just got up,and head out the kicthen for a cup of coffee.it ran back an forth and looked like it was trying to gety in mybasement.then it ran around to the fornt off my yard. man,i just got buck fever all over againe. march 6,2012 oh yea! that is a fisherscream.
Sorry – I’ve lived with both foxes and fisher cats in my back yard my whole life – this definately a grey fox, and I would go so far as to say y are either defending territory or looking for a kit. Because they are predators, they rarely make noise otherwise.
Fishers are crepuscular – meaning active during dawn & dusk, so if you are hearing calls late in the night, 10-3 it is probably NOT a fisher, but a grey fox. Red foxes have a much higher “yippier” sound to their calls.
Contrary to popular belief, fisher rarely attack pets, they are actually very shy. If your pet has been attacked in your own yard, it more likely a coyote or even a hawk.
I’m not sure which sound it is, fox or fisher cat. My neighbor claims to have seen a fisher cat recently, but i’ve not seen one. I do know that the past 7 years we’ve had a pair of foxes in the woods behind my house and yes, they do come out during the day and no, they’re not rabid. The mother actually brought her 3 pups out one day in clear sight and they were so cute and playing like puppies would play. We’ve never bothered the foxes and they’re aware of it too. I’ve seen the Mom out in the sun sunning herself also. We respect their area and they respect ours ….somehow it works. I hate the idea there could be a fisher cat out there too, so until I actually see one, i’m going with the sound being foxes.
That is a fox and not a fisher. A fisher’s scream is very similar but more throaty, and it lasts longer…sounds more like a real scream.
In PA, no fisher cats. here in SE PA near Philly..have heard of em though. We have grey and red foxes….have heard that scream in the night…not usually wee hours but for sure have to think twice…is that a bloody murder I am hearing?
Fox. We heard a blood curtling “scream” last night and this sound more like a dog/fox. what we heard was longer in length 9the scream) and to me, much different than this sound. we found our cat in the same area as the scream but she seemed unfazed by the whole thing. woke us both up from a sound sleep.
We most certainly do have Fishers in PA…Definitely here in Northwestern Pa, here in Forest County…They are a porcupines only threat.
Yes , there are some in NE Pa. Seen them before and heard one again just this morning, 10/20/13. Sounded just like the recording on this post.
sounds like a fox to me…
We only have red foxes in Philly and the surrounding subarbs. As far as I’m aware, gray foxes don’t roam ’round these parts. We do have coyotes, though.
Fisher cats have been seen along the upper Wissahickon Creek…in Upper Gwynedd and Lower Gwynedd Townships.
Heard this same sound last night – although at a much quicker interval. It was mixed in with what I describe as a short “high pitched scream” and a very low key “hissing”. Definitely not cat and dog. We have male and female red fox in our neighborhood, coyotes, and fisher cats. Could not see what was causing the sounds although I know it was at least 2 different animals – then one went away and all I heard was the above sound. Fisher Cat or Red Fox… my “guess” is the above sound is red fox because I have seen him roam the same area – but something sounding far more “sinister” was with him!
I’m in South eastern MA and for several years had foxes living in my back yard. I saw and heard them on a regular basis and I’m 99.9% sure that this is a red fox
that’s definately a fox!
I’ve seen a fisher cat 3 times since spring. There was still snow on the ground and the paw prints were amazing the first time I saw him. He came out right at dusk so it was the next morning when my neighbor and I went looking for tracks. I’ve also seen a red fox. Definite difference in size, shape and movement. The horrible sound that has awoken me doesn’t sound like this clip. This definitely sounds almost bark-like. The fisher cat screams and I do mean blood curdling scream right out of a horror movie. At one point while attempting to capture another sighting, the fisher cat went past my deck at the edge of the woods, paused and let out that scream. Definitely not a fox, it was a fisher cat. I saw him clearly. I’ve since heard the fox “yelp” (that’s what I call it).
My Golden Retriever Lexi spotted a red fox in our Alexandria VA city park last night and we followed it to the edge of the woods. It let out the scream above, once or twice while we followed. After reaching cover it kept coming out to look at us, then going back in. It screamed at us periodically. Its ears came together on top of its head when it screamed. Then it retreated into the brush but we could see its eyes blazing at us. A second pair of “headlights” appeared beside it and when it screamed again, the lights went out. It must be that it shuts it’s eyes while screaming. The first pair of eyes disappeared and shortly Lexi spotted a red fox bounding from cover about 100 yards away and disappearing down by the pond. We could barely see it illuminated by the park street lights. One set of eyes remained and it screamed at us a few more times before disappearing. So we know there were at least two foxes. We had seen foxes and heard the scream once, but not together. I made a video of the “headlights”.
Saw a fox in yard two days ago. When he noticed me, he stood his ground and barked at me. Sounded very much like this.
Currently live in central NH and at the moment there is some critter screeching outside which I attribute to a fox. Fox are seen here somewhat frequently as are fishers. We previously lived in Blue Springs, MO (outside KC) until recently. At that address had a fox who routinely came to our house at night and screeched a blood chilling sound. The fisher and our cat would have a stand-off staring at each other while the fox would screech a chilling sound. Quite hysterical actually. We would watch them from our bedroom. On one day-time occasion our cat, an outdoor beast, was noted by my wife carrying a fox pup back to the house which she dropped near my wife. My wife noted the vixen racing across the yard snatched up the pup and carryed it post haste to the woods. Ths cat just stood nearby staring in puzzlement (I suppose).
The animal you are hearing is a fisher. They make a number of different sounds sometimes sounding like a child crying or a wooden clapping sound. They make whooping sounds when they are excited (like when they get into the neighbour’s garbage!) as well as the screeching, pinging sounds on this audio clip. Keep your dogs and cats in at night because they will attack and kill them (I learned this the hard way). Killing fishers in Canada is illegal but in my dreams….
Months ago I heard that terrifying sound and put my scope on it with a high powered light and I was seeing a fox, not a fisher. My neighbor swore it was a fisher.
My cat got out last night and I think that what I heard just last night again was that animal, hunting my cat. I have a live trap out for my cat and eyes peeled for that thing.
That is absolutely a fox. Google “fox calls” and look for warning call. They have about a half dozen different calls like mating calls, territorial calls etc. I have a fox living in my yard. It was right out in front yard last week making this exact call.
That’s a Fisher, for sure.
No, that’s definitely a fox. Here’s what a fisher cat sounds like:
Yes, definitely a (red) fox. It is more of a bark than a scream.
It sounds like a red fox to me
It sounds like a red fox
The sound in your captured audio/visual is exactly the sound my husband and I woke to at 4:15 this morning. We had never heard anything like it before; but this morning I found the remnants of another “murdered” hen in our chicken yard (second this week). Wow! Didn’t know we had these creatures here in this north Colorado Springs community. I suspected the culprit had to be something small, yet strong enough to climb a 5′ wire fence, squeeze through a 5″ gap while dragging a full-sized hen. After this experience (including that unforgettable sound) I know it’s time to close that gap.
Creature in our yard was a fisher cat (as identified at a fox.
I want to see a red fox
Idiots
Definitely a red fox! I’ve heard that call a lot, this past March. And I saw at least one fox on the prowl, every morning, last summer, looking for rabbits coming home late from a night before.